


All Or Nothing

by Ononymous



Series: Christmas 2019 Stories and Requests [8]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: Chara and Frisk have butted heads over many things, from the trivial to the truly cosmic in scale. Right and wrong, mercy and revenge. Mostly it ends in stalemate. But not today. Surely this clash will have a true victor.
Series: Christmas 2019 Stories and Requests [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580731
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	All Or Nothing

"But we agreed!"

"Did we? I seem to recall you saying 'go ahead, Chara'."

"That's gaslighting and you know it!"

"Hmph. It appears we are at an impasse."

"Afraid so."

The two humans refused to shift their gaze, the many lights in the room reflected in their eyes as they surrounded the crumb-laden plate by the Christmas tree. The prize sat almost ignored, innocent and ignorant of the conflict raging above it.

"If you are that determined to try and prove I agreed to let you eat any cookies Santa left, Frisk," said Chara, "let us compromise."

"It would be easier if there were two or more cookies. He only left one. What are you thinking?"

"I get the cookie, and you get the lack of stress from the continued deadlock."

"That's not a compromise, that's you getting everything you want!"

"I see no downsides to it, from my point of view. Isn't it just better to resolve the tension and we can move on? It's pointless to keep bickering about it when giving in just gives you so much more peace of mind."

"Well maybe we could," said Frisk, "if you don't mind Mom finding out why she had to buy more chocolate spread for sandwiches earlier than she thought?"

Chara's brown eyes narrowed. "Well if that happens, Asriel gets to discover that you reset to win at rock paper scissors." Frisk stepped back, grabbing their arm. "Mutually assured destruction, Frisk. You know I'd do it. Would you?"

"...yes."

Chara sniffed. "You hesitated. You'd never let me break his heart if you can help it. I can't convince you humanity aren't worth your time, but I can take this cookie and eat it. You're weak."

"W-wait!" Frisk walked around the table, Chara meeting their glare. "Staring contest. First to blink forfeits the cookie."

"Why on earth would I gamble for something I can just take?"

"To prove you're better than me."

"...very well." Both of them closed their eyes. "I spent a very long time not needing to blink, Frisk. You've merely delayed the inevitable by suggesting a contest I shall surely win. Ready? Three, two, one!"

Their eyes flew open. Brown into Grey. Nothing else. So of course as soon as they begun it felt like a gust of wind hit them in the face.

"It's easy to not blink when you don't have a body," said Frisk. "Maybe you've forgotten what biology will demand of you."

"Hmph. Oh, you blinked, I win."

"No I didn't, you're just trying to make me think I did."

Indeed Chara was. And it almost backfired, because for a moment they weren't sure if they had accidentally blinked. Conversation was a risky gambit in a staring contest, but in their original youth it paid dividends. And so they stared.

"Hey Chara, what's the square root of eighty-one?"

"...nine. Clever, Frisk, trying to make me break eye contact to think of the answer. A touch more devious than I'd expect."

"When it comes to making you uphold your agreement, I'll go to any length."

"If you could have made me stick to it, we wouldn't be doing this."

"Ha, you admit it!"

"Did I? Or was I speaking in hypothetical terms?"

"I... never mind, I won't give up."

"The spirit is willing..."

And so they stared.

"Feeling the sting yet, Frisk?"

"Nope."

"Your tear ducts say otherwise. Am I just a blur to you already?"

"...bet you can't see me."

"You are correct. Your face might as well be lines on a tanned background right now. Why deny my own weakness when victory is assured regardless?"

"Why make agreements you have no intention of upholding?"

"To weed out the fools who will try to bargain with me."

"Hmph!"

And so they stared.

"You know some day you'll be in a position of actual weakness, Chara. You'll find something you can't just dominate or handle by yourself. You'll need help. And you won't find any. Too many broken words mean the ones leaving your mouth are empty!"

"Oh please, the crying wolf fable? You hang out with a wolf at Grillby's, that has no meaning for us anymore. Did your eyelids just flicker?"

"N-no. But yours did."

"...no they didn't."

"Heh heh. What happened to admitting weakness?"

"Portraying strength hasn't gone out of style either."

And so they stared.

"I can see you're struggling now, Chara. Just... just give in."

"N-no. I can see you're on the edge too. In this world it's blink or be blinked!"

"Blink or be- That doesn't even make any sense! How the heck do you get blinked?"

"Ask a Loox. I hear the Occule family wrote a book about it."

"Really? Any good?"

"No. Drier than your eyes must be."

"Nngh! I won't give up!"

"You said that already. You think you can bring your body to heel? Since when were you the one in control? Just admit defeat so I can _CLOSE MY EYES THIS IS GETTING HARD!_ "

And so they stared.

"You're on the run now, Chara, I just- Nngh! No, not yet-"

"Yesss, if I can hold out just a little more. Stay determined."

"Ooh, one left..."

"-AAAAAA _AAAAAA-_ "

" _-AAAAAA **AAAAAA-**_ "

And so they blinked.

"Ha!" They said in chorus. "You blinked!" And they did so again, trying to realise what had happened.

"Wait, a tie?" Chara scowled. "That's almost worse than losing to you!"

"How do we resolve this?" asked Frisk.

"We start again. I know your limits now, Frisk. I will surely win. Ready? Three, two..."

A crunching noise distracted Chara. Both of them looked round. The plate now only had crumbs. They followed the sound up to the golden beard of Asgore, who was munching on something.

"...oh," he said, "is something the matter?"

He found himself assaulted by rage on one side and hysterical laughter on the other. The fury of being denied the prize and the justice of the cookie going to its intended destination after all. Utterly confused at the miniature riot, there was only one thing he could do.

He blinked.

**Author's Note:**

> Original Suggestion: Chara having an intensive staring contest with Frisk about who gets to have the cookies for Santa, please.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
